Guide · Minimum viable product
MVP development: the launch cycle, costs and timelines
Launching with a minimum viable product (MVP) is an established principle in startup methodology. Rather than spending months or years developing a complete software product, you can test an idea quickly and cost-effectively before committing significant resources.
Eric Ries popularised the idea. An MVP has three key elements: enough value to attract initial users or buyers, demonstrated future potential to keep those early adopters, and a feedback mechanism that guides what you build next.
The five-stage MVP launch cycle
The MVP approach has evolved into what's called the "MVP cycle": a repeating process where you release an initial product, gather market feedback, then either adapt it or pivot to test an entirely new concept.
- 1
Get a good idea
Successful business ideas emerge through two primary pathways: identifying an unmet market need, or solving a personal problem you wish someone had already solved.
- 2
Research the market
Validate that the problem you've identified is big enough to warrant a software product. Market validation might involve direct conversations, online surveys, or landing pages paired with targeted advertising.
- 3
Build your MVP
Build a version that addresses one very specific part of the problem. This first release will have limited functionality, and potentially some bugs.
- 4
Release your MVP
Launch publicly with as much promotional effort as you can, potentially including paid options to test whether users will genuinely pay.
- 5
Iterate or test new ideas
Gather feedback to decide whether to continue, pivot, or treat the project as a learning experience and move on.
Because an MVP takes little time and money, a failed one shouldn't be seen as a failure. It gives you valuable information before you make a larger commitment.
Seven things to settle before you build
- Define the problem you are solving, and make sure it hurts enough that people would leave their current approach.
- Define your customer, so the feedback you gather comes from your target audience.
- Write down how your product helps that customer, compared with how they solve the problem today.
- Plan how you'll reach customers from day one: a landing page that collects early registrations is a good start.
- Work out how you'll make money, using conservative estimates for retention and engagement.
- Define what sets you apart, and check it matters enough for customers to pay.
- Identify your biggest risks, and test the riskiest assumptions first.
More detail in 7 things to consider before making your MVP, and why it matters in why you need to validate.
Testing an idea before writing code
Sometimes the quickest MVP isn't software at all. A landing page MVP describes the product and collects sign-ups, so you can measure demand before building anything. A concierge MVP delivers the service by hand behind a simple front end.
DoorDash started that way: a basic website listing restaurants, a phone number that rang a founder's mobile, and the founders making the deliveries themselves. Whether people or code fulfil the service matters less than whether it delivers value to the customer.
Read how DoorDash used a concierge MVP and how to build your app or SaaS product in 30 days or less.
MVP vs MMP
A minimum marketable product (MMP) is "the product with the smallest feature set that still solves your customers' problems, while providing the right user experience." The two are often confused, but they do different jobs: an MVP is about risk reduction and learning, and an MMP is about reducing time to market.
Use both. Build one or more MVPs to test your ideas, then use what you learn to create and launch the MMP. See should you worry about an MMP?
What an MVP costs and how long it takes
With Orchid, a fixed-price MVP typically costs $6k to $25k (NZD + GST) and takes 2 to 6 weeks for most ideas once scope is agreed. Apps with many moving parts, such as ride-hailing, take longer and cost more. These are indicative prices from November 2026, not a quote.
A fixed-price MVP is a first version, built in sprints. It focuses on one core workflow, which makes it a good way to prove an idea or solve a contained problem. Design happens in the browser rather than through a full Figma prototype, and an MVP may need re-architecting as it grows.
An MVP won't meet every need. Industrial-grade software that your business depends on needs to be properly scoped, designed and engineered by a software engineer. AI helps us get there faster, but it doesn't replace that engineering.
See prices and timelines for well-known app ideas and by type of build.
Ready to build your MVP?
Tell us about your idea and we'll come back with an honest read on scope, timeline and cost. Or see how BuildMyMVP works.
or call 0800 933 233
